In here I’ll be documenting my thoughts and feelings as we (my crew (CREW-HOO!) and I) work toward bringing this story to life as well as the general progression of the film’s development and insights as I learn a more formalized method of filmmaking.

A little bit about myself for all the newcomers:

I’m originally from North Carolina and have lived in Hawaii since July 2012 when I was stationed at Pearl Harbor, assigned to then-JPAC/now-DPAA. During that time, I had some amazing experiences traveling around the world for the mission and I feel as though it’s really been a second coming-of-age for me.

Ever since I was a kid I’ve been fascinated with movies and thought how cool it’d be to make them for a living! When Jurassic Park came out in theaters, though, and upon watching it four times opening weekend, I knew that this is what I wanted to do with my life. I’d use my family’s camcorder to make movies with my Spider-Man action figures and then Mario Paint on the Super Nintendo.

However, through middle school and high school I began to doubt myself and the practicality of pursuing this career. I made a handful of fun short films while at East Carolina University, and took a stab at a longer-form (not quite feature-length) action film after graduation.

And then life happened, I drifted a bit, not much unlike Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate, did a stint as a high school English teacher, then pursued a romance to Ohio which wasn’t meant to be and then I joined the Navy.

While I didn’t (and don’t) intend to make a career with the Navy, joining was the best choice I’ve made for my professional life. From it I’ve gained world, professional, and leadership experience, being a part of a team, and on a personal note, I wouldn’t have met my wife with whom I also have a wonderful little boy. Plus, after five years, I can use the GI Bill to not worry about paying for school.

Here we are now – 24 years after the initial spark and the embers have fanned into flames once again! I’ve done some much more recent work (The Wrong Bag!) and am super excited about this new project!